Egg Foo Yung

Last weekend, I decided to give a couple of recipes (that have been circulating for a while in my "to-do" folder) a whirl. Both items are from El Syd's childhood growing up as a Jewish lad in Brooklyn, bialys and egg foo yung.

First up, the bialys (short for Bialystocker kucken) are a small roll of Polish Ashkenazi origin. Grandma Selma (El Syd's mother) always has bialys at the ready for breakfast when we've visited and as a Texas gal, I'd not ever encountered them before. They are round, and slightly chewy like a bagel, but rather than a hole in the center, they have a deep indentation that has a smattering of cooked onions and, on some occasions, poppy seeds. Even though they are chewy, they are not as dense as a bagel and are dotted with quite a few big air pockets from the yeast action.  Split, toasted and served with a layer of melting butter, they are quite the breakfast treat. 

I followed the recipe, which is quite similar to pizza crust dough in its make-up, but noticed that the dough seemed rather tough at the get go. Not knowing what to expect, I forged ahead and followed the rest of the instructions. Let's just say, this was not a shining moment of glory in the kitchen. While they tasted fine, the yeast didn't seem to have the pep that it should and rather than puffy air pockets, we ended up with some oniony puck-like rolls.  Upon review, I think I made a fatal error in adding the salt by itself to the yeast mixture (in essence stunting it) rather than with the flour as should be the case. I will definitely be giving these another test in the kitchen and if the results are as they should be, I'll share the recipe then. 

Following that kitchen fail, I needed a success. Not that I was necessarily trying to be thematic in any way, but the second recipe is also an old favorite of many Jewish Gastronauts - Egg Foo Yung. Many of the first Chinese restaurants in the US were of Cantonese origin. The dishes served there, such as moo goo gai pan, chop suey and egg foo yung, which were once viewed as exotic offerings, lost some of their luster over the years. As immigrants from Hunan and Sichuan made their way to the US, their cuisines became au courant and those old Cantonese dishes were pushed to side and deemed passé  However, Egg Foo Yung is making a come-back and after making it myself at home, I say deservedly so. Golden, lacy omelettes filled with an elaborate mixture: bean sprouts and minced water chestnuts; bits of ground pork and fresh shrimp; chopped scallions. These pillowy delights are served with a sauce (many times referred to as gravy) that is savory and salty with a hint of sweetness to be drizzled over top of dish. 

Here's how you, too, can make these at home: 

Egg Foo Yung (makes approx 8 pancakes)

(adapted from Mei Chin)

For the sauce: 

• 1 C chicken stock
• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. oyster sauce
• 1 Tbsp dry sherry ( I used light sake)
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

 For the egg foo yung:

• ½ lb. ground pork
• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 ½ tsp. rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. dry sherry( i used light sake)
• 1 tsp. plus 1 tbsp. sesame oil
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 1/2 lb. raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and finely chopped
• ½ cup water chestnuts, finely chopped, drained and squeezed dry
• ⅓ cup bean sprouts
• ⅓ cup sliced scallions, plus more for serving
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp canola oil plus enough for frying

1. Make the sauce: Bring stock, 3 Tbsp. soy sauce, the oyster sauce, 1 tbsp. sherry or sake, 1 tbsp. cornstarch, the garlic, to a boil in a 1-qt. saucepan over high heat. Cook, whisking, until thickened, 2-3 minutes; strain sauce and keep warm. Keep an eye on the sauce as if left alone, it can cook down and get too thick rather quickly.
2.  Make the Egg Foo Yung: Mix the ground pork, 2 tbsp. soy sauce, 1 tbsp. cornstarch, the vinegar, 1 tsp. sake, 1 tsp. sesame oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl; set aside for 10 minutes. Heat 1 tsp. canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork mixture; cook, stirring and breaking up meat, until it is no longer pink, 3-4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon to separate the cooked meat from the fat, transfer pork to a bowl; set aside.
3. Pour canola oil into a 6-quart saucepan to a depth of 2". Heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 350°. (You need the oil to be at this temp because if you put the batter into oil that is not ready, the pancake will absorb a ton of oil rather than fry quickly and putt appropriately. You'll be left with a oil-logged pancake.) Combine remaining soy sauce, cornstarch, and sesame oil, plus reserved pork, the shrimp, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, scallions, eggs, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Using a ladle and working in batches, gently lower ½-cup amounts of egg mixture into oil; cook, flipping once, until pancakes are puffed and brown, 1½-2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pancakes to paper towels. 
4. Serve drizzled with reserved sauce; top with sliced scallions.

The results were light, pillowy pancakes filled with savory pork and tender shrimp, accented with the crispness of water chestnuts and bean sprouts. All of this set off with the salty, slightly sweet, garlicky sauce drizzled on top. El Syd (who obviously doesn't follow Jewish dietary restrictions as this recipe had not only pork, but also shrimp.) raved that it was the best egg foo yung he's had and since it was the first time I've ever had it, I'll have to agree with him.

Happy Cooking!

sld

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